World Class Nurse

Hello friends.

It’s been a while.

I’ve been a little quiet here this year.

Not because nothing was happening but because a lot was happening quietly.

I’ve been working, learning, reflecting, and becoming.
Training as a coach, building World Class Nurse, supporting international and early-career nurses behind the scenes, and doing a lot of inner work around alignment, purpose, and what it really means to build a sustainable life and career.

As the year comes to a close, I’ve been in a reflective mood and I want to share a thought that stayed with me.

I recently heard someone say:
“If you go shopping while hungry, you’ll almost always buy the wrong food.”

They were talking about happiness, not as a reward, but as a starting point.

And I realised how much this applies to our nursing careers too.

So often, we only think about our careers when we’re exhausted, burned out, frustrated, or panicked.
We make big decisions when we’re already depleted.

But what if we planned while we were well?
While we had clarity.
While we had energy.
While we weren’t in survival mode.

What if we built our lives and careers from wholeness, not from lack?

That’s the space I’m choosing to build from as I step into the new year and the space I now support other international nurses to build from too.

So this is me saying hello again.
Thank you for still being here.
And wishing you a gentle, intentional start to the year ahead 🤍

If you’re a nurse who feels a little stuck, restless, or unsure what your next chapter should be, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

Happy New Month! 😃

As nurses, we continue to lead with compassion, resilience, and purpose. May this month bring fresh opportunities to grow, support others, and make a meaningful difference, one patient, one shift, one step at a time.

Today marks one month since I resumed work and active social media engagement after 13months of maternity leave.

During my leave, I dreaded returning to work. I wondered how I would cope after long shifts, how I would manage childcare without getting fatigued or burnt out from my day and night job as a Critical Care Nurse.

The good news is, it’s been a very good month. I find myself enjoying work more than before (there are theories to this, the jury is still out 😁)

This is how I have managed to cope:

First, I read and understood my organisation’s Flexible Working Policy and identified how I can utilise it to manage my shifts and family time better.
Second, I communicated with my ward managers in good time and identified my needs following the long hiatus from work.
Finally, I have used the month to refresh my knowledge. I ask for help when I need it and have not been embarrassed to say I have forgotten something.

I am still adjusting to the dynamic of it all. I am learning that in parenting, everyday is a lesson, there is no single roadmap or strategy.

In the spirit of motherhood, this coming Saturday, I will be giving a talk in an interactive webinar organized by the amazing Ruth Omondi of SMART MAMA here https://lnkd.in/d_HEiFFv

Save the date 📅and share with any parents or parents to be.

You can also check out my blog on maternity leave in the UK here: https://www.worldclassnurse.com/post/maternity-leave-in-the-united-kingdom-what-you-need-to-know

Being a novice nurse can be daunting. You look at experienced nurses and wonder how they got to be so polished. What you may not know is how rough around the edges they were when they started.

Laying a solid foundation can help you have a better experience at the formative stages of your career.

Just like a house, when your base is strong, you became unshakeable. My three main considerations for laying a solid foundation for your nursing career are:

• Get the necessary education and licensure. This may sound obvious but sometimes, we are not patient enough to attain the right qualification. Even after getting the basic training, it is important to learn continuously. In the digital age, learning has become easier than ever. Get all the necessary education that will augment your current role or that will help you advance to the nursing field of choice. If your goal is to work in a different country, start preparing for the exams and other requirements early enough.

• Attain experience in a healthcare setting preferably. At the beginning of your career, working at the bedside will equip you with a lot of clinical skils and soft skills that you can apply for the rest of your life. However, if you intend to work outside of the bedside, seeking those opportunities will suffice.

• Build a diverse professional network. In the one year I spent in Kenya post my licensure, I worked three jobs, all gotten through professional relationships. Do not ignore people you work with, despite their roles or ranking. Make use of social media to network meaningfully. Have a community that you can talk matters nursing without being judged, people to inspire you and to challenge you.

How did you lay the foundations of your nursing career?

In second year of nursing school we did a placement in paediatrics. We had been to medical and surgical departments as well.

On a particular shift, I was asked to give an IM injection. As part of learning, we would do some treatment under supervision. I gave the injection on the baby’s thigh. After pushing the medication, the area swell up. I instantly panicked. The child was crying his lungs out. The mother was there looking frustrated and helpless.

I immediately informed the nurse in charge and left the ward. I was overcome by a feeling of dread, guilt and shame. I felt that I had caused significant harm to this baby and worsened his suffering. I went and sat under a tree and asked myself why I chose nursing and prayed and prayed for the baby. I was so scared to go back to that room, so I asked a colleague to check on the child on my behalf.

Through the rest of my training, I was filled with fear. I constantly wondered how I would work in a hospital eventually. I wondered how I would cope with bigger procedures. There was no one to share my fear and frustrations with.

So, I survived. I avoided doing major nursing tasks and would thrive in things like giving oral medication and health education.

What no one had told me is that post injection inflammation is a common side effect. No one took the time to monitor my technique and teach me. I also did not speak up. I did not ask for help or guidance. Instead, I hid in the shadows through the rest of my training.

This particular event is why I started worldclassnurse.com, to share my experiences and learnings, to mentor and to be that listening ear.

Student nurses and entry level nurses should not experience the pain, fear, shame, guilt and doubt I felt on that day. And if they do, because life happens, they are able to cope better and not base their entire journey on single events.

I am here to listen, to mentor and to share ideas.